Administrator – Page 4 – The Winford Centre for Children and Women

You are your child’s first role model- special needs or not!

Posted on March 16, 2017March 16, 2017 by Administrator

Lead by example
Teach
Model
Nurture
Groom
Show love
Show understanding
Be compassionate
Encourage positive behaviour and attitude
Have faith in self

Don’t be the the person in this picture
Don’t raise your child to be the person in this picture
It takes conscious efforts and is certainly more difficult if the child has special needs but it is doable.

N.B If your child is showing early signs of aggressive behaviour please talk to your pediatrician. A lot of conditions such as Conduct Disorder can be managed with early intervention.

#BeAware

Specific Learning Difficulties

Posted on March 14, 2017March 14, 2017 by Administrator

As your children start to grow, you may notice that they are struggling with certain areas of their learning. Sometimes, this may be as a result of varied learning pace. Other times, it may be as a result of other difficulties associated with the child’s ability to learn. Specific learning difficulties refer to a number of conditions that affect the way a child processes input information and converts this into specific action or output. These conditions cannot be cured but can be managed effectively and people with these conditions can go on to live independent and successful lives.

#BeAware and show empathy.

How to make learning fun for children with special needs

Posted on March 7, 2017March 10, 2017 by Administrator

All children learn at different paces, and it is not uncommon to find that special needs children can take a bit longer to learn basic concepts. This is because of the way and rate at which they process information. Notwithstanding this, we want to ensure that just like every other child, children with special needs are able to have fun despite their challenges. For kids, learning is better when it is fun, but developmental challenges can sometimes pose a barrier to this. To overcome this challenge, we must be able to do things a bit differently. Although, it might result in more effort but it is worth every bit of that effort. If your objective is teaching, then your mission is not accomplished until learning has occurred.

These are 5 useful and practical tips to make learning fun for children with special needs:

Use the things they love or are obsessed with to teach them new concepts. This can help make the concept easier to grasp. If a child is obsessed with cars, you use the cars to teach imagination, feelings and emotions for a start and then transfer the concept to people. You can even use it to teach simple maths concepts (additions, subtractions, multiplications and division).
Use lots of visuals and practical displays. This makes it easier to relate to what is being taught as imagination sometimes can be a challenge.
Divide what needs to be learnt into smaller bits so that it is not overwhelming. Remember that for a child with special needs, it doesn’t matter if the learning is at snail speed as long as it doesn’t stop.
Embrace the use of technology. The preferred way of teaching is not necessarily the best way of teaching. A child who hates music but loves computers can learn music using computer software.
Lastly empathy! How does empathy help you may ask? Children can sense when teaching them feels like a burden to you. So put yourself in the child’s shoes and just have fun together- no judgement.

Vulnerability in children/ children with special needs

Posted on February 3, 2017April 4, 2017 by Administrator

Vulnerability means to be susceptible to being harmed or hurt. All children are vulnerable but those with special needs or disabilities are considered even more vulnerable. This is because of the difficulty they experience in:
1. Expressing or voicing their concerns because they don’t have the right words or means to describe what is happening to them or how they feel about it.
2. Coping with adult reaction. The fear of what to expect from the adult they are telling or not even being believed.
3. Inability to physically stop what is happening to them which may be compounded by the presence of a disability.
4. Doing things independently. Whilst children are very much dependent on adults for a lot of things, those with special needs may have something called “learned helplessness”. This situation can arise where disability has caused dependence on others for a very long period of time. The effect is that these children may not have the skills, confidence and experience to stand up for themselves.
Everyone has a part to play in safeguarding children / children with special needs especially those charged with the duty of care.
Parents you are and will remain the first line of defence. You are responsible for the associations your children keep, the contents they consume and who you entrust with their care. Your number one function is ensuring that your children are safeguarded at all times.
Caregivers/ Educators your primary responsibility is to the child- always. When children are in your care, look out for them especially those with special needs. Encourage children to play in groups and create an atmosphere where there is openness as well as freedom of expression.
Everyone should make a conscious effort to look out for the other person. Offer assistance where possible and appropriate. Learn about disabilities, don’t be that person who will not care until they are affected. Lastly show empathy. It is another word for “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes”.